


Focusing On The Wrong Problem Or, Steve Is Really Confused

by alafaye



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-06
Updated: 2013-08-06
Packaged: 2017-12-22 15:45:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/915031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alafaye/pseuds/alafaye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Naturally, the press and public will ask questions and no matter that this was a topic that didn't exist in his time, Steve has to make a statement.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Focusing On The Wrong Problem Or, Steve Is Really Confused

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [love bingo](http://alafaye.livejournal.com/337489.html) and the prompt 'sexuality'. Yes, there is no pairing, but I think this carries the theme of love. I fully suggest looking into the actual history of the term 'homosexual' and 'heterosexual'; it goes back to the scary days of Victorian psychology and the days where sex was a sin, no matter that a woman was supposed to sexually submit to her husband. Weird days, those. But yeah, interesting read when you have the time. (And generally, look up Victorian sexuality. As I said, weird times.)

When the first article came out, Steve was very confused.

"But what does it matter?" he asked, half pleading and half worried. "And what does it mean?"

Natasha had shrugged--likely for her, it didn't make sense. Clint had given some stuttered words that trailed into nothing when he realized that he didn't properly understand it himself. Thor, of course, didn't know and Tony...Tony told him to talk to Pepper because Pepper apparently understood those things better than Tony ever could.

"We aren't just obsessed with sex," she began carefully. "We're obsessed with knowing ourselves and knowing other people in an effort to find others who are like us. For some, though, it's about who to support, who they can count on to support their campaigns."

Steve rubbed his hands over his face. "I don't even know what those things _mean_ though."

She tapped a pen on the desk in front of her. "SHIELD isn't helping you?"

He wrinkled his nose. "They just wanted to talk about how I'm coping with the 21st century and about...PTSD?" He trailed off on the last letter, unsure still what that meant.

"Shell shock," she suggested and that actually helped. She sighed. "We're so used to thinking about a person's sexuality and our own that I think we don't remember that there was a time when there wasn't such a thing."

"So..." He hoped he could lead her to properly explain what this meant because he wasn't even sure where to begin with his questions.

"I'm not sure where to start actually," she muttered.

"When I crashed into the ice, people dated and married someone of the opposite sex," he offered helpfully. "I mean, I knew a man who would go to these clubs in Europe on his leave. Clubs where he could met other men, for dating and all that."

"It isn't a new idea, obviously," she agreed. "We have records from ancient times that people would date their own gender. I think I remember a class in college where they mentioned that homosexuality and heterosexuality were terms used by Victorian doctors to describe people who wanted to have sex. There were treatments for it, like there are now for people who are homosexual. It was shortly after the war that heterosexual began to be used to describe people who were then 'normal'."

He shook his head. "Pepper, I just want to know what it means so I understand why there are people discussing me like that."

"Sexuality is who we are attracted to," she said in rush. "Ah, who we want to have sex with. They're discussing whether you're straight because you are straight or if you're straight because of the time you grew up in."

"Straight means that you want to have sex with someone of the opposite gender?" he asked haltingly, unsure if he understood correctly.

She smiled. "Exactly."

He sat back in his chair, exasperated. "And it matters because of politics?"

"Unfortunately," she shrugged. "I don't understand why because I don't think it matters who you want, but there are those who think that people who are homosexual should be put through programs to make them straight. There are also those who think that homosexuals should not be allowed the right to marry or adopt children."

"Brave new world," he muttered.

"I can't begin to imagine how difficult this is for you. I'm not sure how to best help you, honestly. I don't think anyone does. But I will tell you that you need to figure this out. Now that someone has publically wondered this, plenty of people are going to wonder themselves and until you make a statement of some sort, the stories are only going to get uglier."

"I just don't understand why it's important."

She shrugged and wrote a number on a card which she then handed to him. "Take as much time as you need to think about this. I don't think your team mates will care either way whatever happens, but I will make sure that one of our PR people will help you when you're ready."

He thanked her and left. When he arrived back in Tony's tower (still ugly), Coulson was waiting for him. "Mission, sir?"

Coulson shook his head and handed him a file. "Just some belated information that we did not think to offer you. I understand you went to Ms. Potts with your questions and I apologize that you had to. Maybe this will help."

With a nod, Coulson left and Steve sat in the kitchen and read through the file. It was only slightly more helpful than Pepper's explanation, but it was, at least, clinical. Not that sex should be clinical, he thought. It was something that happened outside the cold, white Doctor's offices. 

But he at least knew more now what the questions meant and that he did have to say something. He hated that it had to be like this--if the world had moved on to accept that people had different orientations, why had it not moved on to let people be? To accept that people did not have to change if they didn't want to?

He had gone to church sometimes, when he was a kid. He knew enough that some people were passionate enough about their faith in the afterlife and worry about what would happen there to not only want to ensure they had a good afterlife, but to worry about other people. Which was nice and all, but didn't a man have the right to be left in peace? If no one was harmed, what did it matter if someone preferred their own sex? 

He understood that homosexuality was considered a sin by some or against nature, but Steve was still unclear on why God or nature--who was not really a conscious deity--would care who slept with who.

Still, reading the file Coulson gave him and reading articles on the internet--both from legitimate sources and some not so legitimate--he knew that whatever decision he made would affect the team. Not that it could get any worse, really--apparently Tony was known to be bisexual and more, was considered a playboy with no morals or ethics. Having another bisexual or an actual homosexual on the team would not be much worse.

Days later, in the end, he made a speech that had some crying out for him to be stripped of his title as Captain America:

"I am not sure whether the original Captain America was straight or gay or anything else. I myself am straight. But I would to make the statement that love is love. I am almost positive that Steven Rogers would agree with me: love is love. When wars are being fought over freedom and people still die for something that is not their fault, it doesn't matter much who is sleeping with whom. We have bigger issues to tackle than this. I fully support any one who is a homosexual. They are not committing a crime nor are they hurting anyone. Thank you."


End file.
